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This
county's section of a legislative investigation into the condition of poor
relief in New York State is one of the most comprehensive and enlightening
sections in this entire historic report. It actually reviews (within the
county) almost every one of the then existent methods of poor relief and gives
examples of their costs and failures. There are also expressed here the full
range of contemporary opinion (pro-, con-, and indifferent) regarding the
establishment of a system of county poor-houses -- which was ultimately
accomplished. It is a long report but very well worth reading!

1824 LAW (required establishment of poorhouse vs. exempted):
exempt

1857 INVESTIGATION:

MONTGOMERY COUNTY POOR HOUSE

This is an old
dilapidated two-story structure, in a rectangular form, 90 x 30 feet, on a
side enclosing an open space, in the centre of which a fountain of water in
ample quantity is constantly playing, and the idea of a bath is foreign to the
establishment. The house is
attempted to be warmed by stoves, but cannot be made comfortable in cold
weather. Connected with the house
is a farm of 150 acres, yielding an annual revenue of $1,000. For two years preceding the present the paupers were supported by
contract, the contractor receiving the use of the house and farm, and 62 cents
for permanent and 65 cents for transient paupers per week, and all moneys
receivable from the Commissioners of Emigration, and it was stated, as a
little singular, as well as a fact, that the contractor was much more
successful in realizing money for supporting emigrant poor than the
superintendents of the county have been. The present keeper has been in charge but a few months; he represented
that the house was in an exceedingly filthy condition when he entered upon the
duties of his office, and that he had already used some forty bushels of lime
in whitewashing, and otherwise in order to make the house what it then was.

The house affords
sixteen rooms and twelve cells for the use of paupers. The present number of inmates is seventy-six, and as many as eighteen
are sometimes placed in one room. Of
the whole number three-fourths are males and one-fourth females. Of these three fourths are foreign and one-fourth native born,
including eleven children. The keeper is assisted by his wife and the paupers in working
the farm and providing for the family.

The sexes are not
separated by day, and not entirely at night. There is no provision for religious instruction, nor is the house
supplied with Bibles. A school is
taught six months in the year for children. The house has been inspected twice during the year by the board of
supervisors. The fare of the
paupers consists of good, plain, wholesome food. The supplies are purchased by the superintendent, or by his orders. He also, jointly with a committee of the board of supervisors,
prescribes rules regulating the diet; he binds out the children, & etc. The average number of inmates is 125. A physician is employed who visits the house twice a week, for which he
receives a salary of $100 a year. Within
six months there have been two births and five deaths. Thirteen of the inmates are lunatics, of these twelve are paupers--nine
males and four females, three have been admitted in the last six months, and
during the same time one has escaped that has not been recovered. The lunatics have a pauper attendant to wait upon them, but receive no
special medical attention, seven are confined in cells, and one is sometimes
whipped, and he is a cripple. None
have been cured nor improved.

Five of the paupers are
idiots, two male three female. The forms of punishment are whipping, shutting
them up in dark cells, ball and chain to the leg. Three-fourths of all the cases that come to this house come
consequent upon habits of inebriation.

Transcribed by PHS-Volunteer, Cheramie Breaux in Louisiana

PERSONAL NOTES FROM READERS:

LOCAL
NOTES:

Click here to see a scan of an original 1817
document: Articles
of Agreement(which resolved an issue of
which county would be responsible for the support of two
specific individuals when Hamilton County split off from Montgomery
County. (Page takes a while to load.)

There is a very interesting old report about the Montgomery
County Poorhouse
(which was sent to a state agency)
excerpted from PROFILE AND HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY
COUNTY, NY, Part 1quoted from Gazetteer and Business Directory of
Montgomery County, N.Y. 1869-70and appearing on the Montgomery County GenWeb site.

RECORDS:

Residents
of the Montgomery County Poor House - 1870 (from the Herkimer/Montgomery
Counties GenWeb site)

Residents
of the Montgomery County Poor House - 1860 (from the Herkimer/Montgomery
Counties GenWeb site)

Residents
of the Montgomery County Poor House - 1850 (from the Herkimer/Montgomery
Counties GenWeb site)

We are hoping to build this base of information about the poorhouse in MONTGOMERY-TRYON county through the helpful participation of readers. All are requested to submit items of interest by sending
e-mail
to The Poorhouse Lady.